Stipulators
by empole0n
Summary: Tamora and Felix are so different, a lot of the other arcade games don't believe they will work out. This is their journey while dating, through the good times and the bad.


_**Nightmares**_

* * *

It was happening again.

Tamora's stifled speech woke Felix out of his slumber. He quickly turned on the bedside lamp. Beside him, his girlfriend was flailing her arms and speaking incoherently. Her brows were furrowed and he could tell her dream was anything but pleasant.

Now, usually when this happened, Felix would run a gentle hand down the side of her face and cover her cheek and neck with gentle pecks. Tamora was moving around too much to do so, so he had to wake her.

"Tammy," Felix said, starting to shake her shoulders gently. Calhoun, being a light sleeper, sat up startled, nearly knocking Felix out of the bed.

"Felix!" Tamora shouted, grabbing him by the collar of his pajama shirt, pulling him back onto the bed. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

"Y-you were havin' nightmares again, Honeybunches." Felix told her as he got settled on the bed again.

"_Again_?" Tamora asked. "I don't have nightmares, Fix-It." On occasion, she actually did, but had never told Felix about them. It was embarrassing to her- the fact that a well-feared Sergeant had _nightmares_.

"Well, Tamora, the t-thing is… you have nightmares very often." Felix didn't like arguing with his dynamite gal, not just because he loved her and didn't like when they argued, but because she sometimes got pretty loud when she was angry.

He didn't think it would be right to go along with her story, just to avoid a fight. Felix had never liked fibbing.

Tamora glared at Felix, her lip curled up in anger, but then her face softened and she shook her head. "Let's just go back to sleep." She didn't want to say anything else about it. She knew that Felix knew about Brad, and her programming, but he didn't know about the other memory that had added to her toughened demeanor.

"Tamora," Felix said, desperate to understand, "I want you to know you can trust me or tell me anything." He assured her, leaning over to turn the lamp off, knowing that this conversation was at its end.

Surprisingly enough, Tamora grabbed his shoulder before he could do so. Felix turned around to face her, his mouth agape, but he closed it as his eyes settled on her own.

"Felix," She said using his first name, "I don't _just_ have nightmares about cybugs or the perimeter check… " Tamora explained slowly. Felix grabbed her hands, holding them in his own. He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb lightly as he nodded, listening to her intently.

"I also have nightmares about my childhood… A lot of the other kids didn't like me that much, so… they bullied me." Tamora said looking away. "My programmers obviously weren't very nice people." She muttered.

Felix stared at Tamora, sad for her, but proud that she was opening up. "You know Cupcake, when you start havin' nightmares like that I usually give you a few kisses and you stop mumbling in your sleep, I think it calms you a little bit. Tonight, you were thrashin' your arms around and I thought you might give me a black eye." He said with a chuckle.

Tamora laughed, "I'm glad I told you." She said lying down on her side, still facing her boyfriend.

"I'm glad you did too." Felix said, lying down as well. "You know, Tammy… those kids were crazy for treating you the way they did. I bet, no, I _know_ you were always one dynamite gal."

Tamora snorted, and wished Felix was wearing his cap so she could pull it down over his eyes. Instead she rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure, Felix. You think the sun shines right out of my ass."

Felix laughed, "Language, Tammy." He scolded.

For a while they just laughed at each other, then Tamora reached out and caressed his cheek with her hand. "Thanks, Fix-It." She smiled.

"For what?" He asked, a grin evident, honey glows and all.

"For being so understanding." Tamora said. "If you repeat any of this to-"

Felix interrupted her for once, "I know, I know, Sugarplum. This is between us." He smiled leaning in to give her a peck on the mouth, but neither of them was ever satisfied with_ just_ a peck.

Tamora began grabbing fistfuls of his shirt to pull him closer to her while,

He held onto the side of her face with one hand and played with the wisps of hair that reached the nape of her neck with the other.

Their breathing was heavy and they pulled away for just a moment to get composed. "Woah." He said giving her a grin. "Your kisses never cease to give me the honey glows." He admitted.

Tamora smirked, "I wonder just how red your cheeks can get." She said, leaning in to kiss him again. Felix's eyes widened at her words _and_ the kiss. He'd be as red as a beet when she was through with him.

Felix had his hands on either side of Tamora's face, while Tamora's hands rested on his pajama shirt. Lost in the moment, wanting more of him she began to undo his buttons. Felix's hands flew to Tamora's and he opened his eyes pulling his lips away from hers.

"Fix-It, I…" For once Tamora found herself at a loss for words. Felix didn't know what to say, but gave her a nervous, short laugh. "Tammy… I just… want you to be sure you… want me in that way." He explained quickly. "Maybe now's not the best time…"

"I do, but maybe you're right, three 'o clock in the morning on a whim isn't very romantic." She said. For some reason she felt like that wasn't all to his explanation, but she was too tired to investigate any further.

Felix nodded, "I want our first time together to be special." He said, squeezing her hand gently. Felix found himself omitting the fact that he had always planned to wait until marriage for something like this. It was just how he was raised.

Tamora nodded in agreement, as he turned off the light. She wrapped an arm around him so they were spooning and she hugged him tight.


End file.
